Lithuania bans nuclear-armed ships from entering its ports

Lithuania’s parliament has upheld a presidential veto to prohibit nuclear-armed vessels from docking in the country, overriding an earlier amendment that would have allowed such ships under national security exceptions, LRT reports.

On Thursday, 95 lawmakers in the Seimas voted in favour of President Gitanas Nausėda’s veto on revisions to the Klaipėda State Seaport Law, with four opposing and 15 abstaining. The move blocks a May 7 amendment that had sought to permit nuclear-armed ships in Lithuanian waters if deemed necessary for defence.

Nausėda argued the amendment violated Lithuania’s constitution, which explicitly bans weapons of mass destruction—including nuclear arms—without exception. The president had previously stated that hosting allied nuclear weapons would require a constitutional change, as current law prohibits their presence under any circumstances.

Earlier this week, the parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee had recommended reapproving the contested amendments, which would have delayed their enforcement pending a Constitutional Court review. However, the Seimas rejected this proposal in a separate vote (37 in favour, 59 against, 15 abstentions).

Conservative MP Ingrida Šimonytė had urged referring the matter to the Constitutional Court to clarify potential conflicts with the constitution, while fellow conservative Žygimantas Pavilionis noted similar debates in Finland. Opposition lawmaker Raimundas Šukys insisted the constitution already contains an “absolute ban” on nuclear-armed ships.

The vetoed law would have taken effect only if backed by an absolute majority of 71 MPs in a revote—a threshold not met in Thursday’s session.